Hydraulsc elevator



(No Model.)

4 3Sheets-Sheet 1. N. G. BASSETT.

, HYDRAULIC ELBVATOB..

Patented Dee. 25, 1883.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N. C. BASSETT.

HYDRAULIC ELEVATOR.

No. 290,660. Patented Dec. 25, 1883.

N. GQBASSETT.'

HYDRAULIC BLEVATOR. i No.,290,660. vPatented Deo; 25, 1883.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

N4 PETEns. Phublizmgnphv. wnhingmn. D. c.

Nrrn SrArns NORMAN C. BASSETT,`OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HYDRAULIC ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,660, dated December25, 1883.

Application filed May 14, 1883. (No model.)

ifo all whom, 1lb 77mg/ con/cern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN C. BAssnrr, a citizen of the United States,residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Hydraulic Elevators, of whichthe following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in hydraulic elevators;and it consists, essentially, in aclosed or sealed hydraulic systemwherein the cylinder-piston is balanced or sustained by the pressure oi'the fluid on each side of the same, in connection with the car andcounterbalance-weights, the car being moved up or down by simplydestroying the balance or changing the relation of the pressures oneither side of the piston by means of a suitable pump, the cylinder andpiston of which connect with or form a part` of such closed hydraulicsystem, the pump operating to draw its supply from one end of thehydraulic cylinder and discharge into the other.

It also consists in combining with such closed hydraulic system asuitable mineral or other oil as the hydraulic fluid, so as to avoid thenecessity of using leather or fibrous pack- 'ings for the pistons, Snc.,and also to obviate all danger of damage from ooding buildings, as isthe case where water is used.

It `also consists, in connection with such closed hydraulic system, of acushioning` device for the purpose oi' avoiding shocks to the car, orirregularity in the circulation of the hydraulic fluid through suchclosed system.

It also consists, in connection with such closed system, of suitableinduction andeduction ports and valves to the cylinder thereof, incombination with valves or other means of regulating the action of thepump, the same being so arranged as to insure the opening or closing ofthe proper ports of `-the hydraulic cylinder before the pump can be setin operation.

It also consists in the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinshown or described.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,and in which simi'- lar letters of reference indicate like parts,`

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention, shownpartly in section. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are enlarged detail I views of thesteam-valve and its parts. Fig.

5 is a sectional view of the cord-pulleys for regulating the valves.Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged views of one end of the hydraulic cylinder.Fig. 8 is a section on line 8 8 or Fig. l; and Figs. 9 and 10 arediagram views, showing the arrangement of cord and pulleys for the carand its counterbalance-weight, respectively.

The elevator-car C shown in the drawings is of the ordinaryconstruction, supplied with such safety appliances as may be found delsirable. The cylinder A, I prefer to place in a horizontal position, asshown, although a vertical cylinder may be used, if desired. Thiscylinder has openings B and D, which are alternately used as inductionand eduction passages. The openings or ports are connected to the supplyand discharge passages C C2 of a steam-pump by means of pipes B and D'and a suitable valve-chamber, O, with its valve V, and in such a mannerthat the pump will draw its supply from one end of the cylinder A anddischarge into the other through these connections. A represents thecylinder of the pump, and A2 the steam-cylinder by which the pump isoperated. As shown in the drawings, the pump is taking the liquid fromthe left-hand and forcing it into the right-hand end of the cylinder.This valveV and chamber O are so constructed that when the position ofthe valve is changed to the other eX- treme of its travel the pump willdraw from the right-hand and discharge into the lefthand end ofthecylinder. It will readily be seen that by reversing the valve V thedirection of motion of the piston I? may by changed at will.

Connected with and forming a part of theY steam supply pipe S is placeda throttlevalve, T, of such constructionthat it will, when at eitherextreme of its travel, admit steam to the steam-chest of the pump, butwhen near `the middle point will entirely shut off the supply. In Figs.2, 3, anda is shown the construction of the valve T and its chamber orseat T. The steam passes into an annular chamber, S', extendingaroundthe valveseat S2. From the former and leading into the latter aredouble V -shaped openings O, through which the steam passes when theyare uncovered by the valve T. The valve T is IOO pump.

A V is left wide open.

hollow and cylindrical in form, and made a l be driven against thecylinder-head with such steam-tight iit to the seat S2, but so as tomove 'freely up and down. Now, it is evident that when the openings Oare covered by the valve T no steam can enter the steam-chest of thepump. If the valve T be lowered until the upper ends of the openings O"are uncovered, the steam will pass through them into the interior of thechamber T, and thence down through the valve T into the steam-chest.Vhen the valve T is raised, steam passes through the lower end of theopenings O into the chamber T and into the steam-chest, as before. Thusit will be seen that at either extreme of its travel the valve T admitssteam to the pump, but about the middle point shuts off the supplyentirely. Now, if the openings O were made of a rectangular form, as isusual in such valve-seats, it is evident that when but very littlesteamis required to move the load the adjustment of the position of thevalve T would be a very difficult matter, because of the small distancethrough which it would be necessary to move it to make a slight changein the amount of steam supplied tothe /Vith the V shaped openings, asshown, a much greater movement of the valve T will be required toproduce a given change in the steam-supply, and the extent of thismovement made more or less, as desired, by making the angle at the apexof the V-openings smaller or larger. Thus the openings Of may be soproportioned as to render the regulation of the steam-supply such as notto require more than ordinary care on the part of the operator. Thisvalve T, and also the valve V, may be moved by any suitable means, suchas a rack, F, and pinion F.

The pulley E is loose on the shaft of the pinion F', and has aconcentric slot in it, as shown at G. On the same shaft, but fast to it,is a second pulley, X, which carries a pin, H, projecting into the slotG. The cord I passes around the pulley K, and thence th rough the car Cin the usual manner, and thus gives the operator complete control of thethrottlevalve, and therefore of the steam-pump. The cord M leads fromtheloose pulley E to the pulley L, which moves the valve. Now, the slot Gis in such a position and of such a length that the valve V is alwaysnearly wide open before the throttle-valve T begins to open, and if itis found'necessary to partially close the valve T to regulate the speedof the pump the valve It is obvious that vthe same action will takeplace when the valves are reversed, and that by means of thisconstruction I am enabled to keep the passages through which the iiuidiiows wide open while the pump is running, and to control the motion ofthe car entirely by the throttle T. Various forms of valve-gear may beused to accomplish the same result, and I do not coniine myself to thisparticular arrangement.

Should the opera-tor, because of accident to to the valve-gear orotherwise, lose control of the car, it is evident that the piston I?might force as to endanger thc parts and to bring the load to a stop sosuddenly as to severely strain the rope-fastenings, ve. To prevent thisaction, I make the ports B and D, at the ends of the cylinder A, V-shaped, as shown in Figs. (3 and 7. It will readily be seen that as thepiston passes over the opening D in its travel toward the head theliquid is forced through an opening which contracts rapidly as itapproaches the end of the cylinder, and that the resistance thus offeredto the advance of the piston will retard its velocity and bring itgradually to a stop in contact with the head without perceptible shock.

Over the pulleys X and X passes a rope, to one end of which is suspendedthe counterweight WV. The other end of the rope is passed around thepulley X, thence around the sheave N in the end of the piston-rod,andfinally fastened at The cord WV leads from the car C over a pulley onthe same axis with the pulley X, around a pulley on the same axis withthe pulley X2, and thence around pulleys X3 and N, and is fastened at e.Now, it is evident that as the piston l? moves to the left the weight IVwill be lowered, and the car C raised, and therefore that the weight NVacts as a counter-balance to the car C and its load. I prefer to makethis weight XV sufiiciently heavy to raise the car with its operator atthe desired speed. Thus,when the car goes up without aload, thesteam-pump is not started, but the cord I is pulled until the valve Vopens, and the heavy weight W' forces the liquid through the pump-valvesinto the righthand end of the cylinder. Should there be a load to carryup, only enough steam is used as is required to lift that load. Shouldthe load on the return-trip be a heavy one, the pump need not be startedas before, as the load will raise the weight XV and force the liquidthrough the pump-valves into ythe lefthand end of the cylinder. Shouldthe load be insufficient to raise the weight IV, the pump is started,and only steam enough is used to raise the difference in weight betweenthe load and counter-balance WV.

The usual air-chamber, R, on th e steam-pump has its counterpart Itplaced in connection with the supply-pipe leading to the pump, as shown.Now, when the pump is started, the air in the chamber R is compressed,and that in the chamber R expands. NVhen the elevator is not in use, thevolumes of air in both chambers are compressed alike, and therefore thepressure is the same in all parts of the system to which the liquid hasaccess. The piston is propelled by a difference in pressures obtained bystarting the pump, and no more power is required to obtain thisdiiierence when the normal pressure is high than when it is low. As thesystem of liquid circulation is selfcontained and sealed, there can beno loss of either air or iiuid, excepting by leakage.

To supply the loss of air any simple device may be used, such as a smallair-pump, Y, so

IOO

IIO

y may be closed, and a small valve, o2, between cal ingredients whichwill attack metals. Such very triiiing, it becomes practicable toe'mploythoroughly lubricated, owing tothe perfect luaveoeo i 3 constructed thatit may be connected to a movl ing part of lthe pump, and by` suitablepipes, g/,and valves, to the air-chambers R-R, as shown. 1 1 i To supplyloss or liquid a valve, as at c in the suction-pipe leading to the`water-pump,

u and the pump, opened, the valve o2 being a part of a pipe-connectionleading to a supply of the liquid. rIhe pump being started slowly, Jthedesired quantity may easilybe forced into the system. Since the loss ofliquid is, at most,

a iiuid much better adapted to such usethan water--for instance, athinoil, free from chemia fluid I prefer to use for several reasons. It doesnot destroy the internal surfaces of the cylinder or valve-chamber, itislighter and more easily forced through pipes, the wearingsurfacesof allthe internal moving parts are brication and small amount of wear wherean oil is used, it is not so difficult to keep joints tight, and in mostcases it is not necessary to use packing for the pistons or valves.However, when packings are used, they may be of metal, vand willl notrequire renewal. rIhe power required to move the controlling-valve Vwill be so much reduced that the operator may easily control the motionof the car, all danger from freezing is avoided. Oil is more elastic inits action than water, and thus tends to reduce shocks and jars. Now,sincea long column of liquid is held against the piston on either side,and the respective weights of the counter-balance "W and the car C actin opposite directions on the piston, it follows that it is almostimpossible to start or stop this mass suddenly, because of its inertia.i Again, between the source of power and this mass is on both sides acushion of air, which will absorb any sudden impulses given by the pumpthrough carelessness on the part of the operator.

It is evident that the aircushion cannot overcome the inertia of thecar, the counterweight and the fluid suddenly, and thus by reactionproduce vibration of the car. Therefore the load will be started andstopped gradually, and its motion will be entirely smooth and agreeable.

It sometimes becomes necessary, because of lack of room for a horizontalcylinder, to place one in a vertical position. In such a case I preferto make the piston of sufficient weight to take the place of thecounter-weight W, and to balance a part of the weight of the car in theusual manner to avoid making an extremely heavy piston. lThus it will beseen that the system is equally well adapted to both classes ofelevators.

It will of course be understood that the counterpoise-weight XV, insteadof being connected directly with the piston or its sheave, as shown inthe drawings, so as to act against the piston in the opposite directionfrom that in which the car acts, may, if preferred, be connectedindirectly with'the piston, and the same result be accomplished. Onemethod of doing this I have indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 10, inwhich case the weight NV is connected directly to the car in theordinary manner, so as to counterbalance the car, and a supplementalcord is attached to the bottom of the car and passed over a pulley atthe bottom of the shaft, and thence around the sheave in the end of thepiston, by which means the car may be pulled down or the weight raisedwhen the latter is in excess of the car and its load.

I claim- 1. The combination, with an elevator-car and its counterpoise,of a closed liquid-circulating system and a hydraulic cylinder andpiston forming part of said closed liquid-circulating system, andconnected therewith by ports at each end of said cylinder, and means forcirculating the liquid in such closed system in either direction andpropelling said piston and the car and counterpoise connectedthereto,thus making the cylinder double-acting, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the double-acting cylinder and its piston with thecar and its counterpoise, connected to said piston, a steampump, andsuitable pipe-connections andvalve mechanism connecting the supply anddischarge passages of said pump with the ports at each end of saidcylinder, thus forminga closed liquid-circulating system, so that byaetion of the pump said piston and the ear and counterpoise connectedtherewith may be propelled in either direction, substantially asspecified. 3. In a hydraulic elevator, the combina-tion of a hydrauliccylinder and piston with a car and a counterpoise heavier than the car,said car and counterpoise being connected to said piston and acting tomove the same in opposite directions, substantially as specified.

4; The combination, with a hydraulic cylinder, of the car and itscounterpoise connected to the piston of said cylinder, a steampump, anda system of closed pipes provided with suitable valve mechanism, andconnecting the supply and discharge passages of said pump with the portsat either end of said cylinder, so that said pump may be caused to drawits supply from either end of said cylinder and discharge into the otherat the will of the operator, as may be required in moving the car up ordown, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the hydraulic cyl- .inder, of the car and itscounter-weight conby the supply may be taken from either end ofthecylinder and discharged into the other, and anair chamber or cushioncommunicating with said pipes, to relieve against shocks in IOO stoppingor starting the car or moving parts, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of the car, counterweight, cylinder, piston connectedwith said car and counter-weight, steam-pump, pipes connecting thesupply and discharge passages of said pump with the ports ot' thecylinder, valvechamber and valve, throttle-valve of said pump, andmechanism for simultaneously operating and controlling both said valvesfrom the car, substantially as specified.

7. In a hydraulic elevator, the combination ofthe car, the cylinder, andits piston, with tapering or gradually-contracted ports at each end ofsaid'cylindcr, and pipes provided with suitable valve mechanism andconnecting said ports with the supply and discharge passages ofa pump,whereby said car is relieved against shocks in stopping or starting thepropellingpiston when at either end of said cylinder, substantially asspecified.

8. The combination of the hydraulic cylinder and its piston, asteani-pump having its supply and discharge passages connected bysuitable pipes and intermediate valve mechanism With ports at each endof said cylinder, thus forming a closed or self-contained hydraulicsystem, with the car and its cOunter-Weiglit connected with and operatedby said piston, and mechanism for controlling and operating said valvemechanism and the pump-Valve simultaneously from the car, substantiallyas speciiied.

9. The combination of the car, the hydraulic cylinder, and its pistonwith a p uinp having its supply and discharge passages connected bysuitable pipes and intermediate valve meehanisni with the ports of saidcylinder, thus forming a closed liquid-circulating system, and

an oil' filling said system as the circulatingliquid, substantially asspeciiied.

10. The combination, With elevator-car, of the cylinder and its piston,and tapering or gradually-contracting ports at each end of saidcylinder, substantially as specified.

l1. rlhe combination of cylinder A, having ports B and D, piston P,valve-chamber O, valve V, pipes B and D', leading from said ports tosaid valve-chamber, a steam-pump provided with supply and dischargepipes G G2, connected With said valvelchamber, throttle-valve T, andair-cushioning reservoirs R and R', substantially as shown.

l2. The combination, with a steam-pump and its throttle-Valve T, ofthehydraulic cylinderA, valve-chamber 0, suitable pipes connecting saidvalve-chamber With the ports of said cylinder and with the supply anddischarge passages of said pump, and mechanism for operating said valvesV and T, consisting of a slotted loose pulley, E, and pin H, projectingfrom pulley K, for operating the latter valve, whereby the former isalways opened before the latter, substantially as specified.

13. The combination ofcar C, counter-Weight 7, cylinder A, piston P,provided with sheave N, pulleys X, X, X2, and X3, cord Vf, leading fromsaid Weight XV over pulleys X X and around sheave N, and secured at z,cord `W, leading from the car over pulleys on the same aXis with X X2and around pulley X3 and sheave N, and secured at e, substantially asspeeiiied.

NORMAN C. BASSETT. lVil'iiesses:

T. Evnnnrr BROWN,

H. M. MUNDAY.

